GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd Oct. The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved granting “classical language” status to five more languages: Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, and Assamese. With this decision, the number of Indian languages with this prestigious status rises from six to 11.
Previously, only Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Odia held the classical language designation. Tamil was the first to receive the status in 2004, and the last was Odia in 2014.
The long-standing demand for classical status for some of these languages, like Marathi, had been pending for over a decade. In 2014, a committee of language experts formed by then Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan recommended Marathi for recognition, stating that it fulfilled the necessary criteria. This decision comes ahead of the Maharashtra elections, fulfilling a long-held demand.
To be recognized as a classical language, a language must meet the following criteria:
A recorded history of over 1,500-2,000 years.
A body of ancient literature or texts considered a cultural heritage.
Knowledge texts in prose as well as poetry, along with epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
Classical languages are often distinct from their modern counterparts and may have evolved separately from contemporary forms.
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